Bath time for Ruru

Photo 1 is the closeup of a ruru owl wrapped in a beige towel, eyes bulging from their sockets. Its face feathers are clotted with the sticky residue of a parapara tree, and gives this poor owl a look that is extra dishevelled.

Original post – 01 Apr 2025

by Birdcare Aotearoa
located in Green Bay, Auckland

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A huge thank you to everyone who donated towards the rehabilitation of our two little Ruru (Morepork), who arrived at BirdCare Aotearoa after becoming trapped in the sticky seed pods of a Parapara tree.

Link to previous post on these two ruru.

Thanks to your support, they’re doing very well in our hospital! After carefully removing all of the seed pods, our dedicated team has been working tirelessly to restore their feathers to their former glory—a delicate process that takes time and patience.

This includes specialised baths designed to help restore the waterproofing properties of their feathers—an essential step for any bird returning to the wild.

It won’t be long now until this duo is ready to soar free once again. 🦉💚

Photo 2 shows the same ruru in a small tupperware tub of specially formulated soapy water. The owl's head sits outside the bowl, body half-submerged (hashtag #owlsinbowls). The fingertips of a rehabber appear from above, applying water to the top of the owls head, as if it were being annointed in a holy ceremony.
Photo 3 shows a very matted looking ruru in the background, sitting on dry towels. The foreground is a pile of the plant seeds, pods and stringy pieces of vegetation that have been removed from the owl. Mixed in amongst this are a few sacrificial feathers. The owl's eyes are lazily focused on something above its field of view. It appears extremely grumpy for some reason.

If you’d like to support their continued care (and others like them), please consider donating:

Link to donate to Birdcare Aotearoa for those willing and able.

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

Species Common Name More info
Ninox novaeseelandiae Morepork Wiki link

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